Archive for September, 2013

You might think that after 28 years of teaching at Mt. Nebo Junior High School, Coleen Huff would be growing tired of it all, but you’d be wrong. She continues to be exhilarated by her students, fellow faculty members, and even by the general community she serves. She says the secret is to keep on learning, and she is quick to point out the opportunities she has to collaborate with colleagues at the school and with district leaders.

Even at the end of a long day, Mrs. Huff’s passion for teaching is evident as she describes the CTE opportunities available at Mt. Nebo – a school with over 700 students. She reports that Mt. Nebo Junior High School offers an Introduction to Agriculture course that is wildly popular with the eighth and ninth graders who manage to get in. She takes pride in the fact that two of her students with special needs passed MS Word and Computer Technology state testslast year. And she is eager to describe her CTE Intro students’ favorite class project; making, marketing, and distributing their own brand of candy bar. “They’re so creative, and they learn so much!”

As Mrs. Huff walks the halls, pointing out various classrooms and features of the school, she is warmly greeted by staff and students alike. She generously shares credit for her achievements with others, which may be one reason that everyone looks forward to working with her for years to come.

Have you ever wondered what you could do with a used product to give it new life without throwing it away? Well, FCCLA student members have figured out a way to recycle, reuse, and repurpose ANYTHING! From VHS tapes and DVDs, to paper and plastic grocery bags, to newspapers and magazines, secondary and postsecondary FCCLA student members showed off their talent for repurposing products at the “RE: PLAY Fashion Show,” held September 16, 2013 in the Taggart Student Center ballroom at Utah State University (USU). The fashion show was sponsored by the Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FCSE) program at USU.

The fashion show was held in conjunction with “FCCLA: A Day of Leadership” hosted by FCCLA, FCSE, ASUSU College Senators, and USU leaders who invited FCCLA students, advisers, and chapters for a day of leadership activities and workshops on the campus of Utah State University. The purpose of the event was to motivate FCCLA student members and advisers to take action and become a leader through FCCLA in order to make a difference in their local community and school. Through various workshops, students and advisers were challenged to identify specific activities to implement at their school using service learning.

FCCLA student members and advisers were inspired at the event and left the USU campus filled with ideas to implement at their school and in their community. Sue Hill, FCCLA chapter adviser at Bonneville High School, took 33 students—including 2 foreign exchange students—to the event. “I cannot stress how important opportunities like this are for these students. I was very impressed with the planning and the overall outcome was nothing short of a complete SUCCESS. This was such a valuable opportunity for these students to walk around a college campus and get excited about opportunities in higher education. I had nothing but positive feedback from each student. Their smiles throughout the day were the best indication of the incredible teaching opportunity this day created. We had a wonderful time!”

Bonneville High School FCCLA student members with their adviser

The FCCLA chapter at Bonneville High School was one of nine secondary FCCLA chapters, from across the state, who participating in “FCCLA: A Day of Leadership.” If your school was unable to attend this year, be sure to save the date for next year’s event.

Congratulations to Joseph Stanley and Wade Beveridge, two ninth-grade students from Orem Junior High School, who scored the highest in the state of Utah for two Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams. Joseph scored 950 on the Excel exam and Wade scored 914 on the PowerPoint exam. In May, both students were recognized by the Utah State Office of Education and Certiport at Orem Junior High Schools annual 9th grade awards assembly. Joseph and Wade received a certificate, a trophy, and a personal copy of Microsoft Office 2013.

Phil Hanney and Joseph Stanley

As a result of their high score, Joseph and Wade had the opportunity to compete in the national Microsoft Office Specialist competition held in Park City on June 11-13, 2013, where they competed against 28 student finalists representing 15 states.

“I am so proud of the great efforts both Joseph and Wade put into learning Microsoft Office. They both worked hard not only in my class, but also in their other classes and in extra-curricular activities. They represented our school and state extremely well at the national competition in Park City. Both Wade and Joseph are great examples of what self-discipline, conscientiousness, and perseverance is all about,” said Phil Hanney, CTE teacher at Orem Junior High School.

Wade Beveridge and Phil Hanney

Do you like formatting documents, creating spreadsheets, or developing electronic presentations? Are you proficient in a Microsoft Office program—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, SharePoint, and OneNote? Utah students can become certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist by taking an MOS exam at one of the 41 testing sites in Utah. Becoming certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist will give you a competitive edge in the job market by displaying your advanced Microsoft Office skills.

Students who certify as a Microsoft Office Specialist qualify—highest score, lowest time—to compete in the state, national, and world competition. Talk to the business or information technology (IT) teacher in your school for details.

SAVE THE DATEWho: Utah middle/junior high and high school studentsWhat: 2014 Microsoft Office Specialist National CompetitionWhere: Atlanta, GeorgiaWhen: June 2014 (Specific date will be posted at www.certiport.com.)

When Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program (CCGP) conference participants were invited to “like” the Utah CTE Facebook page, and to post a message there, Lisa Hardy jumped into action and was rewarded with a set of professionally printed CTE posters to use in her school. (See the full list of CTE Posters available as PDFs here.) Lisa Hardy is the sole school counselor at North Star Academy in Bluffdale, where she serves students in all grades – kindergarten through grade 9 – enrolled at the school.

Ms. Hardy has big plans for September 30-October 4; a “College and Career Week” will help students of every age better understand the world of work and the education required to achieve success in that world. She will use the CTE posters to illustrate the many Career Pathways available and to inform students of related facts. In addition, she is inviting community members and college representatives to do their part to ensure that students are exposed to a wide variety of occupations and that every student sees college (“1, 2, 4 or more”) as a key element of the post high school plan. Students will be encouraged to identify “their” college. There are even some plans in the works to host lunch time competitions between representatives of rival schools. College and Career Week is just the beginning of the opportunities North Star Academy students will have to make college and career readiness a priority.

The CTE Posters that Lisa Hardy won may have to find a place in the hall,as various other “tools of the trade” are spilling off of shelves in her office.

School has begun, the days are getting cooler, the leaves on the trees are turning shades of yellow, orange and red, and high school football is in full swing. All of these things signal the upcoming Fall Leadership Conference for each Utah Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO).

Between September 24 and November 23 CTSO state and chapter officers will gather together to learn, plan, and prepare for the 2013-2014 school year.

CTSOs present organized activities for students to gain personal and leadership skills, making them more employable, preparing them to become productive citizens, and assisting them in assuming positive roles in the home and community.

What Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) are you a member of?

Casey Boyer started college thinking that he would become a mechanical engineer, but luckily for Nebo District, he changed his course to complete a degree in education. He acknowledged that his decision was influenced by his former Westside Elementary teacher who recognized his potential before he did. Mr. Boyer was excited by the prospect of helping to open Salem Junior High School last year, and has returned this fall a bit more confident, experienced, and knowledgeable about both his students and his subject matter.

Mr. Boyer teaches CTE Intro and Manufacturing courses. Objectives for these courses are expressed in “I Can” statements, for example, “I CAN recognize processes and technology in engineering, manufacturing and construction.” (See the full lists of the statements for his courses: CTE Intro and Manufacturing and Exploring Technology.) He works diligently to assure that his students achieve these objectives, and he enjoys seeing them learn more about themselves and about the world of work. He noted that there is quite a range of development for the students in his CTE-Intro classes. He has a couple of students who already have well-developed career interests, with solid plans about how to prepare for specific occupations, while others have a very limited scope of what is possible, and still others see vast possibilities, but are in no way prepared to identify even a broad area of career interest. From Mr. Boyer’s viewpoint, that’s the beauty of CTE Intro; it is a curriculum that has something for every student – even if it’s simply a confirmation of something they do not want to do when they grow up!

Eric Wilcox, a recent graduate of Westlake High School, spent his senior year as the president of Utah FCCLA—Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America—a leadership organization for Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). Within three years, Eric joined FCCLA, was elected FCCLA chapter president of Westlake High School, and became the FCCLA Utah state president.

Here is Eric’s story. “Beginning my sophomore year, I quickly found out that high school is meant to be much more than taking classes. It is about becoming a leader, finding your specific talents, and beginning to positively influence those in your personal scope of peers. I first got a taste of leadership by becoming an officer of Westlake High School FCCLA.

“Being the Utah FCCLA State President was the experience of a lifetime and gave me an incredible senior year. I traveled to many places, including Orlando, Florida for FCCLA Nationals and Washington, DC for incredible leadership training. I conducted meetings of over 1,000 students, and have made many lifelong friends within the state and country! I will always remember the experience of being president of a state organization of over 3,000 and having the ability to make a difference in so many ways.

“Looking back on high school, I realize that within the four short years at Westlake I completely transformed into the person I am today. FCCLA has given me so many opportunities and experiences. I will be a lifelong advocate of FCCLA, and I am forever changed by this amazing organization. I am now leaving high school as an adult with a desire to take on the world, seek new opportunities and continue life as a leader —– crazy.

“I am now beginning another chapter in my life with a head start and a clear vision into my future and career. Although, I never would have guessed as a freshman that this is all possible through my participation in FCCLA and Family and Consumer Sciences while in high school.

“To all incoming and continuing students, remember that high school is much more than taking classes and getting good grades, it’s about finding a passion and making connections with others. Join FCCLA or any other club you have an interest in, run for Student Council, do something challenging…you never know where it could take you!:)”

Lisa Panek began her teaching career in Idaho, but is happy to be in Utah, where all seventh graders take the CTE Intro class. She recognizes the great advantage that this class offers students to learn more about themselves and how their interests and other characteristics might be supported by various occupations. Ms. Panek also appreciates the hands-on nature of CTE, and says that students may learn as much from the learning activities they hate as from the ones they love. Ms. Panek admitted to being somewhat anxious about facilitating the Technology and Engineering (T&E) activities in CTE Intro, but after participating in the CTE summer conferences, she’s feeling confident and excited about the T&E days. She thinks every student in the country should have the opportunity to take a class like CTE Intro!

In addition to the three classes of CTE Intro that she teaches at Mountainville Academy, Ms. Panek also teaches Computer Technology, Business Digital Literacy, and Keyboarding Applications. Her Classroom Page reflects a firm grasp of digital strategies that can be used to communicate with students, parents and the community at large. Ms. Panek enjoys promoting student success during the school day and beyond. She invites students to email her, and looks for other ways to use technology to keep in touch with and to motivate her students.

In addition to the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit at the Utah State Fair, throughout the 10 days of the Fair, the FFA Association has numerous agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, and livestock exhibits. So, when you visit the Fair be sure to stop by the exhibits listed below.

Agricultural Education students from around the state bring the best from their home gardens, truck farms and orchards to display at the Utah State Fair. This exhibit is open to the public throughout the Fair.

The Agricultural Mechanics exhibit is located in the old “FFA-Barnyard Friends” exhibit building. The exhibit features trailers built by the Agricultural Systems and Technology students in Utah high school agriculture programs. This display is open to the public throughout the Fair.

Register to bid on 4-H/FFA raised livestock. Auction begins at 2:00 p.m. in the Livestock Showring. Help youth develop responsibility, gain knowledge and skill in livestock production, and become contributing members of society. You will be making an investment in their future!